Whilst there are numerous ways to deal the cards in a poker
game, this is not all there is to the game of poker.
Poker is a game of betting and this aspect of the game is
every bit as important as the way the cards are played.
There
are three popular ways to bet in poker, with a fixed limit,
with a pot limit, and with no limit. Games are usually played
for table stakes - that is, you can't go back to your wallet
for more money during a hand.
Fixed
Limit
These
games are usually played with two limits, one twice the
size of the other. For example £3/£6.
In this game a player is allowed to bet £3
in the early round of the hand and £6 in the
later ones. No other amount can be
bet.
No
Limit
These
games are radically different to the limit games above.
Although there may be a restriction placed on the minimum
bet, your maximum bet is the amount of money you have in
front of you. No limit games tend to be very aggressive,
it is a daring and exciting form of poker.
Pot
Limit
Somewhere
in between these forms of poker is pot limit. In
this case there is also a small minimum bet, but the maximum
amount that can be bet is the amount of money currently
in the middle (to "bet the pot"). This
form of betting is favoured in the UK.
Although
you may be playing the same format of the game, correct
strategy for a no limit holdem game would differ
hugely from that for a fixed limit holdem game.
In
no limit the game is more focussed on playing your opponent
rather than your cards. Bluffing is more commonplace and
aggression is the order of the day. High cards are better
than draws to straights and flushes.
Playing
poker with a fixed limit is a more mathematical game. The
hands usually go to a showdown so you tend to have to have
the best hand to win the pot. It is harder to bluff because
the bets are small, and it is often worth drawing to a flush
or straight.
These
variations in betting just make the game of poker
even more intriguing and interesting to play!
